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Sean Bell's Fiancé to Run for City Council

Nicole Paultre Bell, the 26-year-old woman whose fiancé was killed by police four years ago, will be on the November ballot for City Council.

The city's Board of Elections says Paultre Bell has collected enough valid signatures to be a candidate for the 26th Council District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica and Richmond Hill.

Bell is running to succeed Queens Democrat Thomas White, who died in office in August. She has the backing of local Congressman Gregory Meeks and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Bell was thrust into the spotlight when her fiance, Sean Bell, was shot down outside a Queens nightclub after a bachelor party in November 2006, hours before their wedding. She later took Bell's name, criticizing the police and calling for the prosecution of the officers involved in the shooting.

She will face several competitors, including Allan Jennings, a former Councilman, who lost a reelection campaign in 2005. During his one term in office, Jennings was censured by the City Council for harrassing two female staff members. The council garnished Jennings' wages to get him to pay a fine.

Bell is currently a sophomore at York College. She lives in Far Rockaway, but a spokesperson says she's, quote, "in the process of moving to the district."

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